Towns
Involved in the Project
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Iliašovce (Spišská Nová Ves District) |
Spišská Nová Ves (Spišská Nová Ves District) |
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ILIAŠOVCE |
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Background
The municipality of Iliašovce
is situated along the Iliašovce creek. It is very advantageously located on the
border between the districts of Spišská Nová Ves and Levoča. It currently has a
population of 950 people, which includes a Romany minority of 150 individuals -
representing about 14 percent of the entire population. A local farm
cooperative and industrial enterprises in the district center provide
employment for village residents, and some individuals have their own small
businesses. The municipality’s unemployment rate is 36%, the majority of which
is from the Romany minority. Some Roma work for construction companies owned by
Romany entrepreneurs, although this provides mainly short-term jobs.
The municipality has its own infrastructure, services, shops, school, post-office, parish office, and municipal office. Several infrastructure improvement projects are currently underway, including the construction of a gas pipeline, the construction of a water pipeline and sewage system, the realignment of the Iliašovce creek, the reconstruction of the street lighting, the reconstruction of the creek bridges, and the general repair of bridges, roads, sidewalks, a sports facility, and a cultural center.
There are a few architectural monuments in the municipality, including a Baroque-style Catholic church and the prominent historical chapel Sans Souci, which is being reconstructed thanks to the efforts of the NGO Home Without Worries (Domov bez starostí). Volunteers from the village are planning to build an “Oasis of Relaxation” near the chapel for all community members, using their own resources and contributions from the Municipal Office and other sponsors.
A number of clubs and associations are active in the municipality, such as the Firefighter Brigade, the Football Sports Club, the Union of Slovak Women, a local branch of the Slovak Red Cross, the Folk group Iliašovčanka, Home Without Worries, and a local branch of the Slovak Union of Anti-Fascist Fighters.
Co-existence of Minorities
At the beginning of the 20th
century, 3 Romany families lived in the village. They occupied themselves with
traditional Romany music, singing and dancing. They were blacksmiths, but this
craft has gradually disappeared along with much of the Romany culture. At
present, 31 Romany families inhabit the village, and there are enormous
differences in culture, dwelling and education amongst them. Romany parents
tend not to develop their children’s talent in singing, music or other spheres
of tradition, largely because they themselves are often illiterate. Only some
of the Romany girls in the village are skilled tailors, cooks, or waitresses.
Amongst the most literate Romany, there are 6 building entrepreneurs that
employ a few people for basic manual work. Most other Romany villagers are
unemployed because of their insufficient education and qualification. The Roma
themselves point out the fact that organizations and firms do not want to
employ them, and so they take advantage of the opportunity to work for even
short periods in other parts of Slovakia. According to the mayor, the
co-existence between the minorities and the majority in the village is
appropriate.
History
Archaeological evidence
suggests that the site where Iliašovce is located today was inhabited as early
as the Neolithic Period (4500 years B.C.).
The earliest written references to Iliašovce in historical documents are dated 1263. The oldest name of the village, “Villa Ursi”, means “Village of the Bear” and proves that the village was a settlement where bear hunters lived. Later, the villagers lived mainly from the land and were subject to the dominion of the lords in Spiš Castle. After the Tartar invasion, the village was settled by German Saxon colonists - and became a member of the Province of Spiš Saxons, later the Association of 24 Spiš Towns. Spiš Saxons were awarded special privileges that brought many advantages to the people of Iliašovce. They were granted the freedom to elect the mayor and the priest, utilize the forests and rivers, delegate land ownership, and carry on crafts and trade.
A fatal blow to Iliašovce came in 1412 when the Hungarian king Sigismund initiated war against Venice. The king borrowed money for the war from the Polish king and gave him 13 of the 24 Saxon towns as a mortgage. Though Iliašovce was not a part of the mortgage, this act affected it greatly. Iliašovce, together with 11 other towns that were not mortgaged, created the Province of 11 Spiš Towns. This association, however, could not continue to retain its privileges for very long, since the constituent members were weaker towns. In 1465, the owner of the Spiš Castle became Imrich Zápoľský, and he altered the Province’s privileges and weakened the position of its members, including Iliašovce. The towns soon went into decline and fell to the level of common subject villages. During the Reformation in the 16th century, Iliašovce converted to Protestantism, which was supported by the new lords – the Thurzos family that had replaced Zápoľský in the Spiš Castle. After the Thurzo family died out in 1636 the Csáky family became the new lords in Spiš Castle. The Csáky family were Catholics and in the second half of the 17th century the Spiš region became predominantly Catholic again. In 1678, the village was looted by the anti-Hapsburg soldiers. In 1831 cholera broke out, and in the panic, the epidemic was followed by a peasant uprising that was suppressed by Csáky’s soldiers on August 16, 1831.
The Csáky family had a Baroque church, a new parish office, and a school built in the village. During the reign of the Csáky family, Stefan Csáky had a summer house – “Sans-Souci “ built for his wife Juliana in an area called Zamcisko, near the village. Beside the summer-house, he also had a chapel, a garden house, an inn, a place for knight tournaments, a hermitage, baths and a zoo built. When the feudal system died out in 1848, the former serfs who lived in the village became free farmers and managed their own property. In 1927, Protestants built their own church. The village was inhabited mainly by Slovak families, with Hungarian, German and Jewish families.
Involvement with the Program
The village agreed to
participate in YOUR SPIŠ in order to help reduce social tension among people
from different groups, and also to help interested people in the development of
pro-village enterprises. The work of the YOUR SPIŠ community activists has
aided in the creation of new organizations in Iliašovce as well, such as the
Fitness Center Youth Club, which focuses on sports activities for young people
and plans to open a fitness club. Another new group is The Roma Way, which is
engaged in the repair and redesign of Romany housing units and the improvement
of the landscaping and local environment.